1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of garments to be worn by humans, and, more specifically, to a chamois for use within cycling pants or shorts to be worn by a male or a female while operating a bicycle.
2. Description of Related Art
Cycling pants/shorts of various configurations have become popular because they provide durability, they provide cushioning between the bicycle seat and the cyclist, and they minimize chafing of the body of the cyclist. Cycling pants conventionally include an inner pad that is located within the crotch and buttocks regions of the cyclist. Such pads have become known as chamois. While some chamois are composed of a number of pieces of flexible material that are stitched together, other chamois are formed of one piece of material.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,233 (incorporated herein by reference) provides a two-layer, one-piece, heat-formed, and seamless chamois that includes an inner liner that faces the body of the cyclist and is made of a synthetic leather-like material, such as the brand Ultrasuede, and an outer synthetic fleece (polyester) member that is compressible. The inner liner and the synthetic fleece are adhesive bonded. The chamois is heat-formed to impart a generally form-fitting shape to the chamois wherein the edges of the chamois are over edge stitched. U.S. Design Pat. DNo. 360,971 also appears to be directed to the above anatomical seat pad.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,101 (incorporated herein by reference) provides cycling shorts that include a padded, three-layer, seat liner having a plurality of integrally formed and embossed break lines that create seamless indentations in the liner. These break lines are positioned such that the liner conforms to the anatomical profile of a cyclist who is positioned in a riding position on a bicycle. The liner is stitched or laminated to a body portion of the cycling pants. The liner includes a nylon tricot backing layer, a high-density polyurethane foam layer having open or closed cells that overlies the backing layer, and a synthetic suede covering layer that overlies the foam layer. The synthetic suede has a soft-napped side that faces the cyclist body. The embossed break lines are located in positions that represent pressure crease point of the seat liner when a cyclist is in a cycling position, and as the cyclist moves to other positions so as to prevent the bunching of excess material. The embossed break lines are formed without using stitching or sewn seams by heat molding the seat liner in a flat position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,243 (incorporated herein by reference) describes bicycle shorts having openable pockets that removably receive seat and crotch synthetic foam pads having different thickness, thus adapting the padding to suit individual preferences.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,945,571 (incorporated herein by reference) provides bicycling shorts having a liquid-filled cushion for cushioning the rider thighs and buttocks, the cushion having a plurality of layers of material to facilitate perspiration wickage. The liquid cushions include overlying layers of a polyurethane material and water, non-freezable silicon or glycerin or mixtures thereof, oils or other slippery material.
While the art provides various type of cycling garments, as exemplified above, the need remains in the art for chamois and cycling garments that provide additional and improved benefits to the wearer as a bicycle is operated.
In embodiments of the present invention, a cycling chamois is provided that is formed of a number of flexible sheets or pieces of fabric or fabric and/or synthetic leather, and that includes strategically located pieces of relatively low-hardness foam and relatively high-hardness foam.
Chamois in accordance with the present invention provide support for the pelvic girdle of a male or a female cyclist. As is well known, the pelvic girdle (also known as the bony pelvis) is a basin-shaped complex of bones that connect the trunk and legs, that supports and balances the trunk, and that contains and supports the intestines, the urinary bladder, and the internal sex organs. The pelvic girdle includes paired hipbones that are connected in the front by the pubic symphysis and at the back by the sacrum, and includes the ischium on which weight falls in sitting wherein the ischial tuberosity is called the sitting bone.
When chamois constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention is attached to the inside of a cycling garment, and when the garment is then worn by a cyclist, a garment-side of the chamois that faces the garment, and a body-side of the garment faces the cyclist body. In the following discussion, the side of the chamois that faces the garment will be called the bottom side or the garment-facing side of the chamois, and the side of the chamois that faces the cyclist body will be called the top side or the body-facing side of the chamois.
This invention provides embodiments of chamois wherein two pieces of relatively high-hardness foam are strategically located to accommodate the pelvic girdle of a male cyclist, and the invention provides other embodiments of the invention wherein one piece of relatively high-harness foam is strategically located to accommodate the pelvic girdle of a female cyclist.
More specifically, male-use chamois in accordance with the invention provide two physically-spaced pieces of relatively high-hardness foam that support the two buttocks of a male cyclist, while leaving a crotch space therebetween that is occupied by relatively low-hardness foam, whereas female-use chamois in accordance with the invention provides one piece of relatively high-hardness foam that supports both the buttocks and the crotch of a female cyclist.
Both a male-use chamois and a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention include a garment-facing cloth or cloth-like member whose outline forms the generally flat external shape or profile of the chamois. This garment-facing cloth member is adapted to physically engage the inner surface of a garment to be worn by a male/female cyclist.
This garment-facing cloth can be a woven cloth or a non-woven cloth, and it can be formed of a natural material or of a synthetic material, with polyester scrim being preferred, or with a non-woven interfacing or batting that is constructed of polyester fibers being preferred.
In use, this garment-facing cloth member is usually sewn to the inside of the seat area of a cycling garment.
Both a male-use chamois and a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention include a layer of relatively low-hardness foam whose outline forms the external shape or profile of the chamois.
In an embodiment of a male-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this layer of relatively low-hardness foam contains two buttocks-region holes that are filled by two pieces of relatively high-hardness foam. In another embodiment of a male-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this layer of relatively low-hardness foam is a continuous layer, and two physically-spaced pieces of relatively high-hardness foam overly two physically-spaced spaced buttocks regions on the layer of relatively low-hardness foam.
In an embodiment of a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this layer of relatively low-hardness foam contains one buttocks/crotch-region hole that is filled by one piece of relatively high-hardness foam. In another embodiment of a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this layer of relatively low-hardness foam is a continuous layer, and one piece of relatively high-hardness foam overlies the buttocks/crotch-region on the layer of relatively low-hardness foam.
As used herein, the term foam means a flexible, porous, natural or synthetic material whose volume contains a relatively high percentage of open or closed cells, and a relatively low percentage of the natural or synthetic material from which the foam is formed. While the spirit and scope of the invention is not to be limited thereto, in an embodiment of the invention, the low-hardness foam had a hardness of about 20 durometer (20 d) as measured by a durometer, and the relatively high-hardness foam had a hardness from about 40 d to about 90 d.
The term foam, as used herein, is also intended to mean a foamed or expanded plastic material that has been treated so as to cause air or gas bubbles or cells to be formed therein, these cells being either closed cells or open cells. However, within the spirit and scope of the invention, the term foam includes both presently known and after-developed equivalent means, such as gel-filled members and/or liquid-filled members. A non-limiting example is an open-cell polyurethane foam.
Both a male-use chamois and a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention include a garment-facing cloth or cloth-like member outline forms the external shape or profile of the chamois.
In an embodiment of a male-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this garment-facing cloth member is a continuous member. In another embodiment of a male-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this garment-facing cloth member contains two buttocks-region holes that are filled by two pieces of synthetic leather. In another embodiment of a male-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this garment-facing member is a continuous member, and two physically-spaced pieces of synthetic leather overly two physically-spaced buttocks regions on the body-facing cloth member.
In an embodiment of a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this garment-facing cloth member is a continuous member. In another embodiment of a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this garment-facing cloth member contains one buttocks/crotch-region hole that is filled by one piece of synthetic leather. In another embodiment of a female-use chamois in accordance with the invention, this garment-facing member is a continuous member, and one piece of synthetic leather overlies the buttocks/crotch-region on the body-facing cloth member.
This body-facing member can be a woven cloth or a non-woven cloth, and it can be formed of a natural material or of a synthetic material, with warp knit polyester tricot having a wicking finish being preferred.
In embodiments of the invention, a unitary chamois is formed of the various members by providing a heat-melting plastic ribbon the extends along the edges or boarders of the various member, such that the use of a heat press operates to melt the plastic ribbon and form a unitary chamois from the various chamois members.
As a feature of the invention, the chamois in accordance with this invention is formed into a single unit by the use of a bonding agent, and/or by the application of heat and pressure that operates to fuse the various pieces of the chamois together into a single unit.
As a feature of the invention, the application of heat and pressure to the chamois in accordance with this invention operates to form the chamois into a three-dimensional shape that generally matches the pelvic girdle of a male or a female.
While the invention will be described while making reference to the use of foam sheets, which may include open cell and/or closed-cell foams, the spirit and scope of the invention includes the use of both existing equivalent members and after-developed equivalent foam members. Examples of existing and equivalent foam members include, but are not limited to, gel-filled foam members, liquid-filled foam members, air-filled foam members, and combinations thereof, preferably to replace the above-descried thick foam sheets, but also to replace the above-described thin foam sheet.